Four Ultra-Orthodox men charged with trying to silence the accuser in a child sexual abuse case

[pnwmom]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/nyregion/4-ultra-orthodox-men-charged-with-trying-to-silence-accuser-in-abuse-case.html?pagewanted=all


The Brooklyn district attorney, facing a wave of public criticism about his handling of sexual abuse allegations in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, on Thursday charged four men with attempting to silence an accuser by offering her and her boyfriend a $500,000 bribe, and threatening her boyfriend’s business.


The district attorney, Charles J. Hynes, alleged that the men were part of an effort to protect a prominent member of the Satmar Hasidic community, Nechemya Weberman, who has been accused of 88 counts of sexual misconduct, including oral sex with a child younger than 13 years old. The charges all involve one girl, now 17, who was referred by her school to get counseling by Mr. Weberman, and then alleged she was abused by him during therapy sessions.

The charges are the first time in at least two decades that Mr. Hynes has charged Hasidic Jews with intimidation of a witness in a sexual abuse case, even though victims, their advocates and prosecutors say intimidation has long been a major obstacle to prosecution of abuse among the ultra-Orthodox. In recent weeks, Mr. Hynes has been saying that the intimidation of witnesses in the ultra-Orthodox community is worse than in the world of organized crime.

“I’m hoping that this will be a message to those who are intimidated that they should come forward and help us,” Mr. Hynes said at a news conference. “No one can engage in this kind of conduct and feel free that, based on prior experience, nothing can happen to them.”

SNIP

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Sexual abuse is found absolutely everywhere...

No class of people is exempt.

I hope these people are nailed to the wall.

[Rex]

4. Spot on!

It is a global crisis.

[pnwmom]

5. That prosecutor has been accused of allowing victims to be further victimized

by letting the ultra-Orthodox (mis) handle sexual abuse cases in their own courts.

While some people have worried about the imposition of Sharia law in the midwest, we've had the equivalent in NY among the ultra-Orthodox for decades.

[monmouth]

2. Beware of holy men. How sad....n/t

[hrmjustin]

3. these kids suffer because the politicians here are affraid to cross...

...the Hasidic community. The say 1 in 5 kids is molested in the hasidic community. Hynes get moving on this. I voted for you and you are not doing your job!!!!